Dysphania ambrosioides or Chenopodium ambrosioides
Epazote is an herb that is native to South and Central America. It has traditionally been used as an herbal remedy since the time of the Aztecs, and it is also an important herb in Mexican cooking. The flavor and scent of epazote are acquired tastes, however, and can be off-putting to people who are not used to them.
In the US, epazote is sometimes called skunk weed because the odor is considered to be repellent, but in Latin America, many people enjoy both the scent and the taste of this plant. The current scientific name for epazote is Dysphania ambrosioides, but it used to be classified as Chenopodium ambrosioides. It is also known as Mexican tea, wormseed, paico, Jesuit's tea and Herba Sancti Mariae.
Annual Plant
Epazote is an annual plant that is often found growing on waste ground, in flowerbeds and in dry lakes and rivers. It is native to the South and Central Americas, but is also found as an invasive species in the temperate and tropical regions of the world, in Europe and the southern US.
Characteristics & Texture
Epazote has long, toothed aromatic leaves that can be up to about three inches in length, with the leaves becoming smaller the higher up the stem they are growing.
The plant can reach heights of several feet under optimum growing conditions. Adult plants produce a number of irregular branches that are held vertically, or near vertically.
The plants have small, green flowers that appear as loose, branching spikes or panicles, which grow out from the reddish colored stem. Epazote usually flowers between July and September, after which it will produce small, round green fruits, each containing a tiny black seed.
Epazote Scent
The scent of an epazote plant is unique and very strong. It is often the easiest way of identifying or locating the plant. In the US, epazote is sometimes referred to as skunk weed because the odor is often considered very objectionable, but in other times and places the scent has been thought of as very attractive.
Some indigenous people wore pieces of epazote for its scent. The odor of the plant bears some similarities to the scents of citrus, camphor, mint, savory and petroleum. Epazote is one of the strongest smelling herbs. The scent of epazote is matched with an equally strong flavor, which is employed in many dishes from Latin America.
Epazote's Leaves
The leaves of the plant are commonly used as flavoring or are eaten as a vegetable, but an oil may also be derived from epazote and used for medicinal purposes. This oil can be produced from the whole plant, or just from the leaves, the seeds or the fruit alone. Epazote tea is also produced from the leaves. Many traditional herbal remedies require the preparation of a decoction of the leaves of the epazote plant. The leaves are mashed and then boiled in water in order to extract the useful oils.
History
The name Epazote is derived from the word epazotl, which comes from the Nahuatl language. This is an Aztecan language that is found in Central Mexico. The Aztecs used epazote as a natural remedy and as an herb for flavoring food. Many other indigenous American peoples have also used this plant.
Epazote used to be scientifically classified within the genus Chenopodium, along with approximately 150 other species that are commonly known as goosefoots. Epazote has since been reclassified in the closely related genus Dysphania, but there are still many similarities between the plants in these two groups. Members are often used as leaf vegetables or are grown in order to extract oils from them.
Quinoa Oil
Quinoa oil, for example, comes from a plant within the Chenopodium genus. The oil that is derived from epazote or D. ambrosioides is often called oil of chenopodium. This name comes from the old classification of the plant, and is still used today although the plant is technically no longer in the Chenopodium genus.
The goosefoots have been used for food since at least 4000 BC, when different species of this plant were being grown by the ancient peoples of Europe and North America. Epazote also has a long history of use as both a food and a medicine.
Digestive Benefits
Epazote has traditionally been used as a cure for intestinal parasites. This is reflected in some of the names that have been given to the plant, such as wormseed.
Eating the leaves can eliminate worms in the digestive system. It has also been used as an herbal remedy to treat spasms of the muscles, and in order to induce abortion, among other things. Epazote is widespread as a native plant across both South and Central America, and it has been exploited by many different groups of people living in different parts of this region.
Many groups of indigenous people in the Americas have used epazote as an herbal remedy, particularly as a cure for intestinal worms. In the Yucatan, epazote has been traditionally used to get rid of worms, and to treat chorea, asthma and excessive mucus production.
Cultural Uses
In the Amazon, the Tikuna Indians have used epazote to treat worms and for its laxative properties. In South America, the Kofan and Siona Indians have used epazote to kill parasitic worms, by dosing patients with a cup of epazote leaf decoction taken every morning for three days, and the Kofan Indians have worn bracelets made from the plant in order to provide a perfume. The Creoles have used epazote to treat worms in children and to cure colds in adults.
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